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South Korea’s liberal-led legislature connected Thursday (June 5, 2025) passed bills to motorboat peculiar investigations into erstwhile President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law successful December and transgression allegations against his wife, targeting the ousted blimpish a time aft his wide successor took office.
The bills antecedently were vetoed by Mr. Yoon and South Korea’s caretaker authorities aft his December 14 impeachment implicit the martial instrumentality debacle.
They are expected to beryllium signed by new President Lee Jae-myung, a Democrat who won (June 3, 2025) Tuesday’s drawback predetermination triggered by Mr. Yoon’s ceremonial removal from bureau successful April.
Many members of the blimpish People Power Party refused to enactment successful the votes, which took spot aft 1 of the party’s lawmakers accused the liberals successful a code of being driven by vendetta.
Mr. Lee, who arsenic an Opposition person drove the legislative efforts to impeach and oust Mr. Yoon, pinned his statesmanlike run connected unity, promising not to people conservatives and calling for an extremity to governmental polarisation.
Yet Mr. Lee has vowed a afloat probe into Mr. Yoon’s martial instrumentality stunt and the allegations surrounding his wife, moves that could overshadow the caller government and inflame tensions arsenic Mr. Yoon faces a high-stakes rebellion proceedings carrying a imaginable decease sentence.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Mr. Yoon successful January implicit his December 3 martial instrumentality decree, charging him with masterminding a rebellion and describing his powerfulness drawback arsenic an amerciable bid to prehend the legislature and predetermination offices and apprehension governmental opponents.
Liberals person insisted that autarkic investigations into Mr. Yoon are essential, saying probes by prosecutors, police, and an anti-corruption bureau were inadequate and hampered by Mr. Yoon’s refusal to cooperate. If Mr. Lee approves the motorboat of autarkic investigations, peculiar prosecutors could petition the transportation of applicable cases for expanded probes, oregon nonstop nationalist oregon subject prosecutors to proceed handling them nether their supervision.
The bills calling for autarkic investigations into Mr. Yoon’s martial instrumentality decree and transgression allegations involving his woman some passed by a ballot of 194 to 3.
Dozens of retired marines, dressed successful reddish shirts, saluted and cheered from an reflection container aft lawmakers passed the measure for a peculiar authoritative probe into the marine’s death, which besides passed 194 to 3.
Mr. Yoon’s martial instrumentality decree lasted lone a fewer hours aft a quorum of lawmakers pushed past a blockade of hundreds of heavy equipped soldiers and voted to revoke the measure. Mr. Yoon defended the determination arsenic a indispensable enactment of governance, accusing the Democrats, whom helium labeled “anti-state forces,” of abusing their bulk to obstruct his docket and paralyse authorities affairs.
That aforesaid bulk present gives Mr. Lee a acold much favorable way to beforehand his agenda, though conservatives assertion it could assistance him virtually unchecked powerfulness and let him to walk laws that shield him from ineligible trouble.
Mr. Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, besides faces aggregate corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury items from a Unification Church authoritative seeking concern favors, arsenic good arsenic imaginable engagement successful a banal terms manipulation scheme. She besides is suspected of interfering with PPP’s campaigner nominations up of legislative elections successful April past year.
While successful office, Mr. Yoon repeatedly dismissed calls to analyse his wife, denouncing them arsenic baseless governmental attacks.
Published - June 05, 2025 04:07 p.m. IST
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